There was a lack of a strong Western response to the abuses in Chechnya. Instead of using its relationship with Russia to bring an end to the abuses in Chechnya, the Clinton administration has focused on cementing its relationship with Acting President Putin, the prime architect of the abusive campaign in Chechnya. Secretary of State Madeline Albright traveled to Moscow while bombs were raining down on Grozny, and chose to focus her remarks on Acting President Putin's qualities as the new leader of Russia, rather than on the brutal war in Chechnya. U.S. officials continue to understate how bad it was getting in Chechnya, and they never talked about the war crimes. The administration wants to continue with business as usual, and mend its ties with Moscow. To date, the international community has given the Russian government no reason to fear any repercussions for its actions in Chechnya.
The United States and its Western allies could have had a major part in stopping the brutal abuses in Chechnya. The West could have made Russia accountable for the crimes committed in Chechnya, and made them put an end to the climate of horror in Chechnya. The U.S. could have encouraged its European allies to see Russia's human rights violations. instead they remained silent when Russia failed to initiate investigations or punish perpetrators of humanitarian crimes. The international community' s relative silence is a familiar response. Once again Russia has failed to prevent, investigate, or punish perpetrators of humanitarian crimes.
Many people say the no reaction to this conflict was a good thing. They think if the western allies would have started to get involved again it could start another major war. Nobody wanted this, so they decided to nothing about this. In some ways it was the right decision. Western powers can't get involved in every single countries fight for independence, but then the question becomes how far do you let one country go. If you let one country start getting to powerful you could have WWII start again. So the real question is how far do you go to protect everyone's human rights.
Many people say the no reaction to this conflict was a good thing. They think if the western allies would have started to get involved again it could start another major war. Nobody wanted this, so they decided to nothing about this. In some ways it was the right decision. Western powers can't get involved in every single countries fight for independence, but then the question becomes how far do you let one country go. If you let one country start getting to powerful you could have WWII start again. So the real question is how far do you go to protect everyone's human rights.